Pages tagged Palestine

by James J. Zogby Last week, I joined several hundred protesters in a sit-in in front of the Army Corps of Engineers' Headquarters in Washington, DC. We were protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline designed to daily transport over 500 thousand barrels of fracked oil southward to be refined. The DC protest was part of an international day of solidarity with efforts led by Native Americans at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. In all, demonstrations were held in over 300 cities worldwide. On one level, the issues involved are presented as complicated matters...

To date, the U.S. government has not condemned the killing of one of its citizens, nor has it called for a transparent and fair investigation into Mahmoud’s tragic death.
Mahmoud’s family deserves to know what happened to their beloved son, as does every family who loses a child.
It is time for Mahmoud's government to demand information and an investigation.

"A strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism. That is why we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself, including by retaining its qualitative military edge, and oppose any effort to delegitimize Israel, including at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement."

"We will continue to work toward a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiated directly by the parties that guarantees Israel’s future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders and...

"Like the United States of America, the modern state of Israel is a country born from the aspiration for freedom and stands out among the nations as a beacon of democracy and humanity."

"Beyond our mutual strategic interests, Israel is likewise an exceptional country that shares our most essential values. It is the only country in the Middle East where freedom of speech and freedom of religion are found. Therefore, support for Israel is an expression of Americanism, and it is the responsibility of our government to advance policies that reflect Americans’ strong desire for a relationship with no...

"Palestinians and Israelis on the ground are paying the price with human life and massive destruction for the inability of the U.S. not only to hold Israel to account but to follow through on its policy talk with policy action." - Sam Bahour

AAIF hosted an expert panel to debate how President Obama and the next President of the United States can end the occupation of Palestine. The panel featured AAI President Dr. James Zogby, Palestinian American businessman Sam Bahour, columnist and author Peter Beinart, and President of Americans for Peace Now Debra DeLee....

The Arab American Institute (AAI) released a new Zogby Research Services poll tracking American Attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

DOWNLOAD THE POLL

Key Findings Overall, nearly half (49%) of Americans view Israelis favorably, and nearly half (49%) view Palestinians unfavorably. Despite this, American voters believe that Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal rights by a margin of 65% to 14%. There is a strong partisan divide on U.S. policy toward Israel. Republicans are more likely to perceive current policies as favoring the Palestinians, and more likely to believe the next administration...

Before the 2016 Democratic National Convention officially kicked off, AAI President Jim Zogby shared a powerful and personal story of how the Democratic Party has shifted its approach to the issue of Palestine over the past three decades. From the days of Jim's work on the 1988 Jesse Jackson campaign - when Palestinian self determination was first introduced to the Platform, and when Dr. Zogby was told he would destroy the Democratic Party by introducing the language - to 2016, when the Party adopted language calling for two states for two people and acknowledging the rights of Palestinians, the Party has moved forward. Jim, however, stressed that there is a long way to go and the 2016 language was far from perfect, especially on Jerusalem and BDS. He further lamented the fact that there is a new, illogical resistance to calling what is happening an occupation. He said, "We [the Sanders appointees] wanted to strike the BDS line out, we wanted to strike a line on Jerusalem out. I thought that would be the fight. I had no idea the fight would be over occupation and settlements."

Here's a running list of tweets, pictures, and news coverage of Palestine supporters at the 2016 Democratic National Convention! Let us know if we missed something! #PalestineLives flag up again #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/MEYvqqpIQM — Arab American Inst. (@AAIUSA) July 25, 2016

This week on Countdown: All the talk surrounding AAI President Jim Zogby's appointment to the DNC platform committee; Questions regarding Trump's Muslim supporters; why TSA isn't the only problem for travelers this summer; and, another acquittal in Baltimore.